British Mountaineering

Thanks to a lifetime spent climbing in the British hills, British Mountain Guides are perfectly placed to guide you round our unique mountains.

As long as people have been scrambling up rocks, British mountaineers have been at the forefront of mountaineering. Spending their formative years in the mountains of Britain gives them the experience and skills required to tackle any mountain in the world.

Despite their relatively modest altitude, British mountains call for an adventurous approach and demand great respect due to their rapidly changing weather and conditions. Thanks to British mountaineers’ passionate defence of this unique environment and style of climbing, British mountains are largely free of intrusive man-made developments.

For many years climbing in the British mountains was seen merely as training for the greater ranges, but now climbers from around the world travel to the UK to experience the unique mountaineering on offer here, from gentle ridge scrambles to multi-day winter epics. The mountains of Snowdonia in Wales and the Lake District in England offer endless potential for climbing and are steeped in history. However, it is in Scotland that the biggest challenges are to be found, arguably the most famous of these being on the Black Cuillin Ridge on the Isle of Skye. This expedition involves over 3000m of ascent spread along 10km of continuously narrow and exposed ridge, poised above the surrounding sea, and the full traverse should be high on the tick list of any climber or mountaineer.

Guiding, Skills and Training

Thanks to a lifetime spent climbing in the British hills, British Mountain Guides are perfectly placed to guide you round our unique mountains. We can teach you the skills required to move quickly and confidently over all types of ground. Our members offer courses in mountain navigation, scrambling, Alpine skills training and Scottish winter mountaineering to name a few. You can experience more exposed and challenging routes with a guide, and discover the most magical places in the British hills, throughout both summer and winter.

What to expect

From rolling hills to jagged Rocky Mountains, summer or Winter, the British mountains are best discovered with a guide.